June's garden pics are now posted here at Flickr. I think June is possibly my favourite month in the garden. I get lilacs, lilies of the valley, and lupins - what more could you ask for?
30 June 2009
Garden Photo Diary for June
June's garden pics are now posted here at Flickr. I think June is possibly my favourite month in the garden. I get lilacs, lilies of the valley, and lupins - what more could you ask for?
28 June 2009
England/Ireland Trip, Part 3: Chelsea, Baby (Plus an Audience With Sir Graham of Norton)
On Wednesday morning (20 May), I went back to Bloomsbury to meet my other doctoral supervisor, P.T., at the Institute of Historical Research, where she works now. While J. struck out for Covent Garden and some shopping, I had coffee and a chat with P.T., who is now a senior, very highly-regarded professor at the University of London. She told me a bit about her current research on unwed motherhood in the early 20th century, for which she is delving into the archives of a British NGO representing the interests of single mums, but which had its historical foundation as a charitable society for so-called "girls in trouble".
On my way back to the Tube station, I was tickled to be approached in Russell Square by a pair of Japanese tourists, who asked me for directions to the British Museum (which of course I happily gave). Then I went to meet J., took a spin around Covent Garden, and had lunch before heading to Sloane Square for another fab London Walk. This one was through Chelsea - formerly an artists' haunt, now characterised by exclusive, gazillion-pound properties (I believe our guide said the average property price in the area is around £2m). We walked all sorts of little back streets, filled with exquisite homes marked with more Blue Plaques (designating that a significant person had once lived there) than you could shake a stick at. We also bypassed both the Chelsea Physic Garden (ca. 1673) and the Royal Hospital (ca. 1682 and designed by Christopher Wren), where we beheld the queues for the Flower Show being held on its grounds that week. When we saw the big banner indicating that the show was sold out, we felt all pleased with ourselves for having booked tickets months before. There was even a tout outside the gate, flogging show tickets and asking if anyone had tickets to sell! As J. remarked, only in England could this happen for a flower show, of all things!
We had another busy evening planned, so we zoomed back to our flat for a quick pitstop, before heading to Waterloo station and London Studios on the South Bank, where Graham Norton awaited us! We got to the studio and joined the queue about an hour beforehand, and as it turned out, just in the nick of time. We were among the final group admitted, and were seated in the very back row - there were probably at least 100 disappointed people behind us!
Still, we made it. It was pretty neat to see what goes on behind the scenes, when making a show like that. After Graham came out to chat with us before the taping began, we found out that the guests were the actress Isabella Rossellini and Alistair McGowan (a well-known mimic in the UK). Surreptitiously-snapped photo (pics were verboten on set) here!
Rossellini talked quite a lot about her latest "artistic" project, Green Porno (!), in which she directed and starred in a series of short films about the reproductive lives of animals. Seriously. J. thought it must surely be a joke, but it is not!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6s2HfSHHsQ
You can watch the rest of them, should you be so inclined, on the Sundance Channel or YouTube!
The evening's musical guest was, of all people, the rather loopy actress Juliette Lewis, whose performance was, uh, interesting (she's nowhere near the badass rawk chick she seems to think she is). Still in all, getting to see the show taping was a pretty cool experience - not as funny as some of the episodes I've seen, but still a lot of fun. Given the high culture of our previous evening at the Globe, we had unquestionably gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, in the space of 24 hours. ;-)
We decided to devote the following morning to some shopping in Oxford Street, as we didn't want to battle the weekend crowds. En route, we took a half-hour to visit the wonderful, medieval (and underappreciated) Southwark Cathedral, which is right across the road from London Bridge station and which we'd been walking past all week. Soon, however, we arrived at Oxford Circus, ground zero for all the big UK and European high-street chains. While J. attained fashion nirvana at Karen Millen, I headed for Bravissimo where I had a professional lingerie fitting. As I have been an aficionado of their catalogue for many years, I was rather shocked to discover I am not the size I thought I was! Eeps. So of course I had to buy some new things (haha) including that elusive item, the well-fitting bikini. I do wish they had an equivalent in North America. On that note, I also ended up in H&M (still waiting for one of those in Eastern Canada), where I bought a fantastic peacock-print wrap dress designed by Matthew Williamson. Later, I got another lovely 'origami' dress at Principles, at 70% off. Yah!
All in all, a profitable morning. We skipped home to dump our bags and get changed, then headed back to Piccadilly in the West End, and Browns Hotel. I had booked us in for afternoon tea that day - and what a meal it was. Unquestionably, the finest hotel afternoon tea I've ever had. Other top hotels in London should take note - originally, I'd hoped we could have tea at the legendary Palm Court at the Ritz, but trying to make a reservation there was ridiculous. Even as far back as February, the only times they could offer us were 11am or 7pm! Are they kidding? It's called afternoon tea, after all - obviously, they're just trying to get as many bodies as possible through the door, which is terrible.
At Browns, tea is served as it ought to be, between 3 and 6pm, in their elegant, classic, yet unpretentious English Tea Room.
They had an extensive tea selection (with an in-house "tea sommelier" on hand to advise) and the food was truly excellent - classic, with a few innovative flourishes. Given that we were there the week of the Chelsea Flower Show, we were served a floral-themed tea, which was delightful. The menu was:
Not only was the food wonderful, but the service was faultless. During our meal, we were offered more sarnies and scones if we wanted them (unusual, especially at a high-end hotel). And when the server came round partway through our meal to ask if we'd like our tea refreshed, I assumed he'd just give us more hot water. But no - he took away the pots and refilled them with fresh leaves. And at the end of our meal, we were even given little bags to take away, with samples of the particular tea we'd chosen that afternoon (I went with the Brown's Afternoon blend). So many thoughtful touches - I was extremely impressed. Just goes to show that when it comes to afternoon tea, it's really best to keep it simple, stick to the classics, and do them well. If it were up to me, staff at the Peninsula in Hong Kong would be sent there for training!
Well-stuffed with this fine repast, we gathered ourselves together and got ready to head off to our next stop - the Chelsea Flower Show itself. (While waiting for J. to return from the ladies, I watched an archetypal fat-cat Russian oligarch roll in for tea, accompanied by his modelesque girlfriend dressed head-to-toe in designer gear and carrying a massive status handbag. Pretty funny.)
We thought we'd walk to the Flower Show, so that we could cut through Green Park and so J. could have a gawp at Bucks Palace. But by the time we'd done that, it was getting late and we wanted to maximize our time, so we hopped into a black taxicab which deposited us near the entrance to the show. I was excited about attending, since it's such a big deal (and strangely, a major fixture on the British social calendar, as well). I had never attended before, as it's a bit expensive if you're not a member of the Royal Horticultural Society - we had evening tickets, for admittance between 5.30 and 8pm, and they were the cheapest at £18. It turned out to be quite the event! The site itself is absolutely enormous, and a bit overwhelming - you would probably need 1-2 days to see absolutely everything. So we concentrated on seeing the main exhibition hall (where all the prize specimens were on display, from growers around the British Isles), as well as the 'show gardens' which are designed by famous gardeners, by invitation.
I took pictures feverishly, until my camera battery died!
Of course, we saved time for shopping - probably half the show is taken up by vendors, selling every kind of garden-related paraphenalia you can think of. It was all simply gorgeous, and we were lucky also that the weather cooperated and it was mild and sunny. A fantastic day, all round - hard to imagine how it could have been better!
________________________________
Next: Bermondsey, Brixton, Brick Lane. And wonderful Westminster.
On my way back to the Tube station, I was tickled to be approached in Russell Square by a pair of Japanese tourists, who asked me for directions to the British Museum (which of course I happily gave). Then I went to meet J., took a spin around Covent Garden, and had lunch before heading to Sloane Square for another fab London Walk. This one was through Chelsea - formerly an artists' haunt, now characterised by exclusive, gazillion-pound properties (I believe our guide said the average property price in the area is around £2m). We walked all sorts of little back streets, filled with exquisite homes marked with more Blue Plaques (designating that a significant person had once lived there) than you could shake a stick at. We also bypassed both the Chelsea Physic Garden (ca. 1673) and the Royal Hospital (ca. 1682 and designed by Christopher Wren), where we beheld the queues for the Flower Show being held on its grounds that week. When we saw the big banner indicating that the show was sold out, we felt all pleased with ourselves for having booked tickets months before. There was even a tout outside the gate, flogging show tickets and asking if anyone had tickets to sell! As J. remarked, only in England could this happen for a flower show, of all things!
We had another busy evening planned, so we zoomed back to our flat for a quick pitstop, before heading to Waterloo station and London Studios on the South Bank, where Graham Norton awaited us! We got to the studio and joined the queue about an hour beforehand, and as it turned out, just in the nick of time. We were among the final group admitted, and were seated in the very back row - there were probably at least 100 disappointed people behind us!
Still, we made it. It was pretty neat to see what goes on behind the scenes, when making a show like that. After Graham came out to chat with us before the taping began, we found out that the guests were the actress Isabella Rossellini and Alistair McGowan (a well-known mimic in the UK). Surreptitiously-snapped photo (pics were verboten on set) here!
Rossellini talked quite a lot about her latest "artistic" project, Green Porno (!), in which she directed and starred in a series of short films about the reproductive lives of animals. Seriously. J. thought it must surely be a joke, but it is not!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6s2HfSHHsQ
You can watch the rest of them, should you be so inclined, on the Sundance Channel or YouTube!
The evening's musical guest was, of all people, the rather loopy actress Juliette Lewis, whose performance was, uh, interesting (she's nowhere near the badass rawk chick she seems to think she is). Still in all, getting to see the show taping was a pretty cool experience - not as funny as some of the episodes I've seen, but still a lot of fun. Given the high culture of our previous evening at the Globe, we had unquestionably gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, in the space of 24 hours. ;-)
We decided to devote the following morning to some shopping in Oxford Street, as we didn't want to battle the weekend crowds. En route, we took a half-hour to visit the wonderful, medieval (and underappreciated) Southwark Cathedral, which is right across the road from London Bridge station and which we'd been walking past all week. Soon, however, we arrived at Oxford Circus, ground zero for all the big UK and European high-street chains. While J. attained fashion nirvana at Karen Millen, I headed for Bravissimo where I had a professional lingerie fitting. As I have been an aficionado of their catalogue for many years, I was rather shocked to discover I am not the size I thought I was! Eeps. So of course I had to buy some new things (haha) including that elusive item, the well-fitting bikini. I do wish they had an equivalent in North America. On that note, I also ended up in H&M (still waiting for one of those in Eastern Canada), where I bought a fantastic peacock-print wrap dress designed by Matthew Williamson. Later, I got another lovely 'origami' dress at Principles, at 70% off. Yah!
All in all, a profitable morning. We skipped home to dump our bags and get changed, then headed back to Piccadilly in the West End, and Browns Hotel. I had booked us in for afternoon tea that day - and what a meal it was. Unquestionably, the finest hotel afternoon tea I've ever had. Other top hotels in London should take note - originally, I'd hoped we could have tea at the legendary Palm Court at the Ritz, but trying to make a reservation there was ridiculous. Even as far back as February, the only times they could offer us were 11am or 7pm! Are they kidding? It's called afternoon tea, after all - obviously, they're just trying to get as many bodies as possible through the door, which is terrible.
At Browns, tea is served as it ought to be, between 3 and 6pm, in their elegant, classic, yet unpretentious English Tea Room.
They had an extensive tea selection (with an in-house "tea sommelier" on hand to advise) and the food was truly excellent - classic, with a few innovative flourishes. Given that we were there the week of the Chelsea Flower Show, we were served a floral-themed tea, which was delightful. The menu was:
Sandwiches (roast beef, smoked salmon, turkey, egg)
Scones with rose and strawberry jam, and clotted cream
Violet blueberry macaroons
Orange-blossom cake
Victoria sponge
Strawberries and elderflower cream
Scones with rose and strawberry jam, and clotted cream
Violet blueberry macaroons
Orange-blossom cake
Victoria sponge
Strawberries and elderflower cream
Not only was the food wonderful, but the service was faultless. During our meal, we were offered more sarnies and scones if we wanted them (unusual, especially at a high-end hotel). And when the server came round partway through our meal to ask if we'd like our tea refreshed, I assumed he'd just give us more hot water. But no - he took away the pots and refilled them with fresh leaves. And at the end of our meal, we were even given little bags to take away, with samples of the particular tea we'd chosen that afternoon (I went with the Brown's Afternoon blend). So many thoughtful touches - I was extremely impressed. Just goes to show that when it comes to afternoon tea, it's really best to keep it simple, stick to the classics, and do them well. If it were up to me, staff at the Peninsula in Hong Kong would be sent there for training!
Well-stuffed with this fine repast, we gathered ourselves together and got ready to head off to our next stop - the Chelsea Flower Show itself. (While waiting for J. to return from the ladies, I watched an archetypal fat-cat Russian oligarch roll in for tea, accompanied by his modelesque girlfriend dressed head-to-toe in designer gear and carrying a massive status handbag. Pretty funny.)
We thought we'd walk to the Flower Show, so that we could cut through Green Park and so J. could have a gawp at Bucks Palace. But by the time we'd done that, it was getting late and we wanted to maximize our time, so we hopped into a black taxicab which deposited us near the entrance to the show. I was excited about attending, since it's such a big deal (and strangely, a major fixture on the British social calendar, as well). I had never attended before, as it's a bit expensive if you're not a member of the Royal Horticultural Society - we had evening tickets, for admittance between 5.30 and 8pm, and they were the cheapest at £18. It turned out to be quite the event! The site itself is absolutely enormous, and a bit overwhelming - you would probably need 1-2 days to see absolutely everything. So we concentrated on seeing the main exhibition hall (where all the prize specimens were on display, from growers around the British Isles), as well as the 'show gardens' which are designed by famous gardeners, by invitation.
I took pictures feverishly, until my camera battery died!
Of course, we saved time for shopping - probably half the show is taken up by vendors, selling every kind of garden-related paraphenalia you can think of. It was all simply gorgeous, and we were lucky also that the weather cooperated and it was mild and sunny. A fantastic day, all round - hard to imagine how it could have been better!
________________________________
Next: Bermondsey, Brixton, Brick Lane. And wonderful Westminster.
27 June 2009
New Curtains
Four years ago, I made Roman blinds for both our living room and the French doors in the dining room. While I was really happy with how the dining room ones turned out, I thought the ones in the living room were just OK. They looked like this:
The central one is a little too wide to be practical - plus, they don't do much to keep out cold draughts during winter. So last year, I started thinking about hanging proper lined curtains there instead.
Over the winter, I bought some fabric I really liked, on sale. And then I decided to hire a professional to do the actual work. ;-) Not only would it take loads of time and patience for me to learn how to make lined curtains, but I had no physical space to do so over the past few months. So based on the recommendation of some friends, I got them made up at the local fabric store. It cost a lot less than I thought it would, and I think they look great!
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/panopticon2/3665601671/)
The central one is a little too wide to be practical - plus, they don't do much to keep out cold draughts during winter. So last year, I started thinking about hanging proper lined curtains there instead.
Over the winter, I bought some fabric I really liked, on sale. And then I decided to hire a professional to do the actual work. ;-) Not only would it take loads of time and patience for me to learn how to make lined curtains, but I had no physical space to do so over the past few months. So based on the recommendation of some friends, I got them made up at the local fabric store. It cost a lot less than I thought it would, and I think they look great!
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/panopticon2/3665601671/)
18 June 2009
England/Ireland Trip, Part 2: Brighton, Bloomsbury and the South Bank
On Monday (this would be 18 May), we took a day trip down to Brighton. Other than a one-day visit in 2000 to attend a ceremony for my graduation from the University of Sussex, I hadn't been back for nearly 11 years - and J. had last visited me there in 1997. The drive down was lovely and it was wonderful to see the South Downs coming into view as we drove towards the coast.
On arrival, in need of sustenance, we headed for the Mock Turtle, a landmark teahouse just off the seafront of which I have fond, fond memories from my student days. We were gutted, however, to find that it is closed on Mondays! Argh! And I had so been looking forward to some hot buttered toast, a morsel of cake, and a lovely cuppa, served on their wonderful collection of faded, chipped, mismatched china. Ah well. We had to make do with coffee in Bartholomew Square instead, before setting off for an hour's wander around the wonderful Lanes. They are unchanged (except for many of the shops, of course) and as atmospheric as ever. I was impressed with the whole town, actually - it's smartened up a good bit over the past decade, while keeping its distinctive, rather hippyish and bohemian air.
While J. contented herself with lunch at the Hotel du Vin, I hopped on the no. 25 bus (just for old time's sake) and headed out to the Sussex university campus in Falmer village, about 20 minutes away. I walked up to the far end of campus, to the Brighthelm residences where I lived for the first few months after I arrived in England in the autumn of 1995. I headed straight up the hill behind the house where I lived, but was surprised to see that the hillside was under cultivation and there were wire fences everywhere. Eventually I found a way through and was able to climb to the top of the hill, and look down at the wonderful view across the campus and away over the South Downs. I will never forget waking up my first morning there, and looking out my bedroom window at that view. The "green and pleasant land", indeed.
After I took a bunch of pictures, I headed for the Arts block and went to the office of one of my old supervisors, C.D. It was lovely catching up with her again - she's a great person and quite inspirational in many ways. She showed me the manuscript she has just submitted for a fabulous-looking book on the social history of glamour! I can't wait to read that - hell, I wish I was the one who'd written it!
After our lunch, I got the bus back into town, then walked up North Street and Western Road, popping into the shops and noticing all the changes that have taken place over the past decade. Eventually I turned right and walked up to York Avenue, and the house where I lived during most of 1998. I knew that the former owners had sold up and moved on a few years ago; as a result, the place has really changed, and sadly not for the better. The beautiful garden at the back of the house, which my studio overlooked and which the owners kept so meticulously, has been torn up and gravelled over to create tenant parking spaces. And the whole house had a whiff of neglect about it, which was sad. Feeling a bit melancholy, I went two blocks further along the road to Brunswick Place, and checked out no. 66, where I lived during 1996-97 - unlike York Avenue, it is still much the same as I remember it and retains an air of genteel shabbiness. ;-)
By then it was time to catch up with J. again, so I headed back to The Lanes and a "bar du chocolat" called Choccywoccydoodah. Silly name, oh-so-serious gourmet chocolatier. We rolled out the boat and ordered the "Decadent Chocolate Lovers' Banquet" which was so, so delicious...ooh. By rights, we should have walked back to London that evening, just to burn off the calories!
It was so nice to see Brighton again, though it also felt a little strange. My years there seem like they were a whole lifetime ago, and so much has changed. (Weirdly, over the past year I've had several vivid dreams about re-visiting the town and going to see the places where I used to live - only to find that, instead of the familiar streets I remembered, the area was all open fields. Very odd.) At the same time though, by the end of the day, I was definitely getting my bearings again, and remembering why it's such a popular and attractive place to live. I'd like to visit again sometime!
The following day, Tuesday, was the first full day in London together for J. and I. In the morning, we stayed in the neighbourhood and visited the Old Operating Theatre, about a ten-minute walk from our flat. With J. being a doctor and my interest in medical history, it made for a very interesting visit. The theatre is located away up under the rafters of what used to be the women's wards of St. Thomas' Hospital, and dates from the early nineteenth century. This was the pre-anaesthetic era, when medical students would have crowded in to watch as surgeons dosed some poor soul with alcohol or opiates, before commencing surgery. It's remarkable that it survived at all.
Afterwards, we hit the local Sainsbury's for some groceries (so nice to have our own kitchen!) before heading for Holborn tube station and the first of several wonderful London Walks we took during the week. This particular walk was "Literary Bloomsbury and the Old Museum Quarter" and it was excellent, taking us to see sights we'd never have found on our own. I love Bloomsbury, especially its wonderful squares (Red Lion, Russell, Gordon). It doesn't require much of an imaginative leap to picture Virginia Woolf, TS Eliot, and Ted and Sylvia living there...not to mention great artists like Rossetti, Morris and Burne-Jones, among others. We finished the walk with a stroll past Senate House at the University of London (inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984!) and then the forecourt of the British Museum - both places I know so well and spent a great deal of time in, as a student.
But the day was not over yet! We raced home to our apartment, made some supper, then headed out again, walking along the riverside to the Globe Theatre, about a mile away from our flat. I had never been, but after learning about it on my last trip to London and being intrigued, I suggested to J. that we give it a go, and got tickets for a performance of "Romeo & Juliet". I knew the Globe was a pretty faithful reconstruction of a theatre that had stood on the site in Shakespeare's day, but thought that it might be a bit twee and touristy. I was very happy to be wrong about that! I knew from the moment we entered that it would be something very special - members of the cast were on stage as the audience filed in, in costume, playing music and generally clowning around.
And once the performance started - well, it was unlike anything I've ever seen before. The atmosphere was magical, and the production itself very, uh, earthy (hehe...Shakespeare really did write for the common folk). We really got a sense of what it must have been like, to see these plays performed as Shakespeare himself would probably have intended. Truly, a fantastic evening!
______________________________________
In the next installment, flowers, fairies, shopping and sipping (tea, that is).
On arrival, in need of sustenance, we headed for the Mock Turtle, a landmark teahouse just off the seafront of which I have fond, fond memories from my student days. We were gutted, however, to find that it is closed on Mondays! Argh! And I had so been looking forward to some hot buttered toast, a morsel of cake, and a lovely cuppa, served on their wonderful collection of faded, chipped, mismatched china. Ah well. We had to make do with coffee in Bartholomew Square instead, before setting off for an hour's wander around the wonderful Lanes. They are unchanged (except for many of the shops, of course) and as atmospheric as ever. I was impressed with the whole town, actually - it's smartened up a good bit over the past decade, while keeping its distinctive, rather hippyish and bohemian air.
While J. contented herself with lunch at the Hotel du Vin, I hopped on the no. 25 bus (just for old time's sake) and headed out to the Sussex university campus in Falmer village, about 20 minutes away. I walked up to the far end of campus, to the Brighthelm residences where I lived for the first few months after I arrived in England in the autumn of 1995. I headed straight up the hill behind the house where I lived, but was surprised to see that the hillside was under cultivation and there were wire fences everywhere. Eventually I found a way through and was able to climb to the top of the hill, and look down at the wonderful view across the campus and away over the South Downs. I will never forget waking up my first morning there, and looking out my bedroom window at that view. The "green and pleasant land", indeed.
After I took a bunch of pictures, I headed for the Arts block and went to the office of one of my old supervisors, C.D. It was lovely catching up with her again - she's a great person and quite inspirational in many ways. She showed me the manuscript she has just submitted for a fabulous-looking book on the social history of glamour! I can't wait to read that - hell, I wish I was the one who'd written it!
After our lunch, I got the bus back into town, then walked up North Street and Western Road, popping into the shops and noticing all the changes that have taken place over the past decade. Eventually I turned right and walked up to York Avenue, and the house where I lived during most of 1998. I knew that the former owners had sold up and moved on a few years ago; as a result, the place has really changed, and sadly not for the better. The beautiful garden at the back of the house, which my studio overlooked and which the owners kept so meticulously, has been torn up and gravelled over to create tenant parking spaces. And the whole house had a whiff of neglect about it, which was sad. Feeling a bit melancholy, I went two blocks further along the road to Brunswick Place, and checked out no. 66, where I lived during 1996-97 - unlike York Avenue, it is still much the same as I remember it and retains an air of genteel shabbiness. ;-)
By then it was time to catch up with J. again, so I headed back to The Lanes and a "bar du chocolat" called Choccywoccydoodah. Silly name, oh-so-serious gourmet chocolatier. We rolled out the boat and ordered the "Decadent Chocolate Lovers' Banquet" which was so, so delicious...ooh. By rights, we should have walked back to London that evening, just to burn off the calories!
It was so nice to see Brighton again, though it also felt a little strange. My years there seem like they were a whole lifetime ago, and so much has changed. (Weirdly, over the past year I've had several vivid dreams about re-visiting the town and going to see the places where I used to live - only to find that, instead of the familiar streets I remembered, the area was all open fields. Very odd.) At the same time though, by the end of the day, I was definitely getting my bearings again, and remembering why it's such a popular and attractive place to live. I'd like to visit again sometime!
The following day, Tuesday, was the first full day in London together for J. and I. In the morning, we stayed in the neighbourhood and visited the Old Operating Theatre, about a ten-minute walk from our flat. With J. being a doctor and my interest in medical history, it made for a very interesting visit. The theatre is located away up under the rafters of what used to be the women's wards of St. Thomas' Hospital, and dates from the early nineteenth century. This was the pre-anaesthetic era, when medical students would have crowded in to watch as surgeons dosed some poor soul with alcohol or opiates, before commencing surgery. It's remarkable that it survived at all.
Afterwards, we hit the local Sainsbury's for some groceries (so nice to have our own kitchen!) before heading for Holborn tube station and the first of several wonderful London Walks we took during the week. This particular walk was "Literary Bloomsbury and the Old Museum Quarter" and it was excellent, taking us to see sights we'd never have found on our own. I love Bloomsbury, especially its wonderful squares (Red Lion, Russell, Gordon). It doesn't require much of an imaginative leap to picture Virginia Woolf, TS Eliot, and Ted and Sylvia living there...not to mention great artists like Rossetti, Morris and Burne-Jones, among others. We finished the walk with a stroll past Senate House at the University of London (inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984!) and then the forecourt of the British Museum - both places I know so well and spent a great deal of time in, as a student.
But the day was not over yet! We raced home to our apartment, made some supper, then headed out again, walking along the riverside to the Globe Theatre, about a mile away from our flat. I had never been, but after learning about it on my last trip to London and being intrigued, I suggested to J. that we give it a go, and got tickets for a performance of "Romeo & Juliet". I knew the Globe was a pretty faithful reconstruction of a theatre that had stood on the site in Shakespeare's day, but thought that it might be a bit twee and touristy. I was very happy to be wrong about that! I knew from the moment we entered that it would be something very special - members of the cast were on stage as the audience filed in, in costume, playing music and generally clowning around.
And once the performance started - well, it was unlike anything I've ever seen before. The atmosphere was magical, and the production itself very, uh, earthy (hehe...Shakespeare really did write for the common folk). We really got a sense of what it must have been like, to see these plays performed as Shakespeare himself would probably have intended. Truly, a fantastic evening!
______________________________________
In the next installment, flowers, fairies, shopping and sipping (tea, that is).
15 June 2009
England/Ireland Trip, Part 1: London, Bexleyheath and...er...Watford
N.B. I've decided to work on the travelogue from my recent trip in sections, just to try to make it more manageable. I'm working on creating an album of pics over on Flickr, but in the interim, I'll post a few to this here blog, as we go.
_________________________
Arrived at Gatwick Airport at the crack of dawn on Friday 15 May, after an overnight direct charter flight from Halifax. I went straight to the flat of our friends C. and P. (the couple whose wedding we attended in Venezuela two years ago), as they kindly offered to put me up for that evening. Their building, The Circle, is located very close to Tower Bridge, on the south bank of the Thames, and is very cool - the neighbouring buildings are old riverside warehouses, now converted into flats.
Shortly after my arrival, C. and P. headed off to work, and I dispatched myself to London Bridge train station, about a ten-minute walk away. I had plans to spend the afternoon doing one of my favourite things - visiting a National Trust property. I jumped on a train and headed east, out of the city to the town of Bexleyheath, in Kent. From there, I walked to Red House, the former home of the Arts & Crafts designer William Morris.
I have always been a great fan of Morris, and was excited to visit this remarkable property, which he designed along with some of his Pre-Raphaelite brethren. I spent some time exploring the small but lovely garden (where I had a staring contest with a red fox in the underbrush) before being taken on a guided tour of the house by a rather doddery old man who was a font of information. I took lots of photos and came away feeling quite inspired by Morris's vision.
I got back into the city around 3pm, and since I had time to kill and an all-day Travelcard to use, I took the Tube up to King's Cross-St. Pancras, to have a look at St. Pancras Station. St. Pancras has always been one of my favourite buildings in London - it's a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. During the years I lived in England, it was in a very sad state, with no regular train services; I used to pass by regularly on the way to the British Library and always wished something could be done to revive it. Fortunately, over the past decade, it has risen from the ashes, and has been completely refitted as the new home of the Eurostar service to Europe. I was absolutely gobsmacked when I walked inside, and saw the wonderful iron girders of the station's enormous glass-roofed train shed, which stretched away endlessly into the distance (my photos don't do it justice!).
The scale of the place is awesome - and the restoration of the wonderful red-brick Victorian Gothic architecture is a joy to see. Beyond the train platforms, St. Pancras is also now home to smart shops, cafes and public art, including a statue of the poet John Betjeman, who led a campaign to prevent the station being demolished in the 1960s. His pose is the very one I found myself adopting as I caught my first glimpses of the station's interior:
At the end of the Eurostar platform, this colossal sculpture can be found. It's called "The Meeting Place" and I think it's wonderful - though apparently lots of snooty art types hate it. Go figure.
Friday evening, I went for dinner with C. and P. (and baby J!) to the Butler's Wharf Chop House, on the river, in a block of buildings recently renovated by Terence Conran. We had an excellent meal - actually, throughout the trip I was really happy to discover how much easier it has become to get good food at reasonable prices in London. It used to be a nearly-impossible task!
The following morning, I was up early and off, via Tube and train, to the town of Watford, northwest of London. Not on anyone's list of touristic must-sees, is Watford - but on arrival, I got a cab to that evening's accommodation, a wonderful country-house hotel outside town called The Grove, where I met up with J. who had just arrived that morning from Montreal. We spent some time exploring the public rooms (including a suite of lounges on the ground floor, located in the original reception rooms of the old house), before hitting the spa for a swim and a steam. We had the afternoon at our leisure in Watford itself, before an early dinner. We spent the evening at a small show nearby - which, in true British style, was held outdoors in very chilly weather, with hundreds of people standing around, listening to the band, drinking and steadfastly trying to make the best of things. ;-)
On Sunday we slept late, enjoyed a fine breakfast, and crashed in the lounge with the Sunday papers before being picked up by friend and driven into central London. We spent the afternoon at Dennis Severs' House, in Folgate Street in the East End. It was my second time being there and it was every bit as incredible as I remembered. I resolved to visit every time I am in London. It is quite simply one of the most magical places I have ever been - part historic house, part art installation, part time machine. It's a bit of a well-kept secret, and an utter privilege to visit.
By the time we finished with seeing the house, it was time to check into our accommodation. We booked a one-bedroom flat for the week, in a new building in Bermondsey (about a ten-minute walk south of C. and P.'s apartment near Tower Bridge). The neighbourhood is one I would not have considered ten years ago, but it's been heavily gentrified since, and Bermondsey Street is now home to trendy boutiques and plenty of good bars and restos, as well as the famous antiques market on Fridays. Our apartment was small, but quite comfortable, with everything we needed for the week, and was only a ten-minute walk from London Bridge underground station.
Had a fantastic dinner that night at a place across the road called Village East -a classic Sunday roast with all the trimmings, and some excellent red wine. By the time we got back to our flat, unpacked, and checked our mail, I discovered we'd finally been allocated some tickets for a live taping of The Graham Norton Show on Wednesday night! Very excited about this, as we'd figured they weren't going to come through - J. and I both love Graham Norton and I'd applied online for show tickets back in February. With this piece of unexpected good luck, we knew we were in store for a fabulous week!
___________________________________
Next installment: a day trip to Brighton, and more literary landmarks than we could shake a stick at...
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Arrived at Gatwick Airport at the crack of dawn on Friday 15 May, after an overnight direct charter flight from Halifax. I went straight to the flat of our friends C. and P. (the couple whose wedding we attended in Venezuela two years ago), as they kindly offered to put me up for that evening. Their building, The Circle, is located very close to Tower Bridge, on the south bank of the Thames, and is very cool - the neighbouring buildings are old riverside warehouses, now converted into flats.
Shortly after my arrival, C. and P. headed off to work, and I dispatched myself to London Bridge train station, about a ten-minute walk away. I had plans to spend the afternoon doing one of my favourite things - visiting a National Trust property. I jumped on a train and headed east, out of the city to the town of Bexleyheath, in Kent. From there, I walked to Red House, the former home of the Arts & Crafts designer William Morris.
I have always been a great fan of Morris, and was excited to visit this remarkable property, which he designed along with some of his Pre-Raphaelite brethren. I spent some time exploring the small but lovely garden (where I had a staring contest with a red fox in the underbrush) before being taken on a guided tour of the house by a rather doddery old man who was a font of information. I took lots of photos and came away feeling quite inspired by Morris's vision.
I got back into the city around 3pm, and since I had time to kill and an all-day Travelcard to use, I took the Tube up to King's Cross-St. Pancras, to have a look at St. Pancras Station. St. Pancras has always been one of my favourite buildings in London - it's a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. During the years I lived in England, it was in a very sad state, with no regular train services; I used to pass by regularly on the way to the British Library and always wished something could be done to revive it. Fortunately, over the past decade, it has risen from the ashes, and has been completely refitted as the new home of the Eurostar service to Europe. I was absolutely gobsmacked when I walked inside, and saw the wonderful iron girders of the station's enormous glass-roofed train shed, which stretched away endlessly into the distance (my photos don't do it justice!).
The scale of the place is awesome - and the restoration of the wonderful red-brick Victorian Gothic architecture is a joy to see. Beyond the train platforms, St. Pancras is also now home to smart shops, cafes and public art, including a statue of the poet John Betjeman, who led a campaign to prevent the station being demolished in the 1960s. His pose is the very one I found myself adopting as I caught my first glimpses of the station's interior:
At the end of the Eurostar platform, this colossal sculpture can be found. It's called "The Meeting Place" and I think it's wonderful - though apparently lots of snooty art types hate it. Go figure.
Friday evening, I went for dinner with C. and P. (and baby J!) to the Butler's Wharf Chop House, on the river, in a block of buildings recently renovated by Terence Conran. We had an excellent meal - actually, throughout the trip I was really happy to discover how much easier it has become to get good food at reasonable prices in London. It used to be a nearly-impossible task!
The following morning, I was up early and off, via Tube and train, to the town of Watford, northwest of London. Not on anyone's list of touristic must-sees, is Watford - but on arrival, I got a cab to that evening's accommodation, a wonderful country-house hotel outside town called The Grove, where I met up with J. who had just arrived that morning from Montreal. We spent some time exploring the public rooms (including a suite of lounges on the ground floor, located in the original reception rooms of the old house), before hitting the spa for a swim and a steam. We had the afternoon at our leisure in Watford itself, before an early dinner. We spent the evening at a small show nearby - which, in true British style, was held outdoors in very chilly weather, with hundreds of people standing around, listening to the band, drinking and steadfastly trying to make the best of things. ;-)
On Sunday we slept late, enjoyed a fine breakfast, and crashed in the lounge with the Sunday papers before being picked up by friend and driven into central London. We spent the afternoon at Dennis Severs' House, in Folgate Street in the East End. It was my second time being there and it was every bit as incredible as I remembered. I resolved to visit every time I am in London. It is quite simply one of the most magical places I have ever been - part historic house, part art installation, part time machine. It's a bit of a well-kept secret, and an utter privilege to visit.
By the time we finished with seeing the house, it was time to check into our accommodation. We booked a one-bedroom flat for the week, in a new building in Bermondsey (about a ten-minute walk south of C. and P.'s apartment near Tower Bridge). The neighbourhood is one I would not have considered ten years ago, but it's been heavily gentrified since, and Bermondsey Street is now home to trendy boutiques and plenty of good bars and restos, as well as the famous antiques market on Fridays. Our apartment was small, but quite comfortable, with everything we needed for the week, and was only a ten-minute walk from London Bridge underground station.
Had a fantastic dinner that night at a place across the road called Village East -a classic Sunday roast with all the trimmings, and some excellent red wine. By the time we got back to our flat, unpacked, and checked our mail, I discovered we'd finally been allocated some tickets for a live taping of The Graham Norton Show on Wednesday night! Very excited about this, as we'd figured they weren't going to come through - J. and I both love Graham Norton and I'd applied online for show tickets back in February. With this piece of unexpected good luck, we knew we were in store for a fabulous week!
___________________________________
Next installment: a day trip to Brighton, and more literary landmarks than we could shake a stick at...
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